Dr. Elaine Heffner: Learning in a group

Tuesday

Jan 24, 2017 at 10:40 AMJan 24, 2017 at 10:40 AM

Dr. Elaine Heffner More Content Now

When children begin nursery school or early group experience that entails separation from a parent or caregiver, the issue of separation often predominates for both parents and teachers. Inaccurate judgements are made at times of both children and parents on the basis of responses of each to this issue.

There is often too little awareness of the challenges confronting children in their first experiences of group participation. We tend to think of the positive aspects of groups such as opportunities for socialization and play. But for a group to serve such a purpose, children first have to feel comfortable in such a setting.

What does that require? First, it means forming a relationship with a new adult and learning that this person can be trusted to respond to their needs. Most children are cared for by a primary caregiver even if not a parent, who is able to respond on an individual basis to a given child. In a group, children may be required to wait longer for the attention they seek.

Such waiting, requiring frustration tolerance, is a developmental step the achievement of which varies considerably from child to child. The same is true of impulse control, which means the ability to hold in check behavior arising from feelings of frustration or impatience.

Beyond the ability of individual children to master the behavior required for functioning in a group, other factors come into play in creating an environment in which children can enjoy learning. One of these factors is the interaction between children and whether such interaction serves or disrupts group functioning. Here one can see the role of both individual children and teachers themselves.

Some children by nature seem to have leadership qualities and draw the interest of other children. They have good ideas when participating in activities and when teachers use this to serve the purpose of the activity, the group is well served. But if a teacher is too invested in her own agenda to incorporate a new idea, the result can be disruptive.

At times, individual children may engage in behavior that draws other children away from the group in a way that defeats a teacher’s plan. This can happen when the behavior of the individual child seems more interesting than that being offered by the teacher. Experienced teachers may see this as a need to move into a new activity, but it may become an ongoing issue requiring thought about how to understand and deal with that child.

At times, there are intangibles that come into play enabling some groups to function more successfully than others. One group observed many times, presented such a puzzle. Although led by an experienced teacher, a sense of group cohesion was missing. The children, while participating in activities, did not seem connected to each other or to a group.

At one point, the assistant teacher left and was replaced by a different assistant. What followed was striking. Gradually, individual children drifted over to this teacher until there was a cluster of children around her, interacting with her and with each other in the activity. For the first time, it felt like a group. There was something in this teacher’s manner that drew children to her, in the same way that individual children draw other children to them. She was filling some need for these children that was not being filled earlier.

Perhaps this is the undefinable something that creates the most talented and successful teachers, and speaks to the ongoing discussion in education as to whether it is an ability that can be taught.

— Elaine Heffner, LCSW, Ed.D., has written for Parents Magazine, Fox.com, Redbook, Disney online and PBS Parents, as well as other publications. She has appeared on PBS, ABC, Fox TV and other networks. And, she blogs at goodenoughmothering.com.